CNN to stop using Reuters

CNN said on Thursday it would stop using the Reuters news service, ending a 27-year relationship, to cut costs and invest in its own news gathering operations. CNN said in an internal memo that it wanted to reduce reliance on agency material while achieving better control of its growth. "This is all about us, not Reuters. This is about content ownership," CNN spokesman Nigel Pritchard said. "Everything is changing and content ownership is king." CNN will stop using Reuters text, photography and television material from Friday. News organizations such as CNN are grappling with how best to court new generations of viewers who are as likely to get their info on cell phones and the Internet as from television, Reuters said. "To advantage CNN in the content marketplace and manage the continually rising costs associated with acquired assets, we are making significant investments in our own news gathering while simultaneously reducing our reliance on agency material," Tony Maddox, CNN International EVP, said in a memo. CNN will continue to use news provided by the Associated Press and Associated Press Television News.